Etsy Weekends: Ho Ho Ho, Meowy Christmas!

Christmas is on it's way, and these adorable ornaments would cheer up any tree! She doesn't have one featuring a white kitty with brilliant blue eyes - at least not yet! But maybe once we reach out and ask nicely...we might just get a Norman Santa ornament for our tree :) 

Custom Christmas Cat Ornament from Art by Julene

Etsy Weekends: Spooky Halloween Art

Apart from Halloween earrings, this is not my favorite time of year. Scary stuff doesn't sit well with me, unless it's tempered with humor - like Supernatural, or tempered with humour - like Midsomer Murders and other British Murder Mysteries. :) Anyhow - I do so love black/blue/gray kitties, and they are probably my favorite symbol of Halloween. This image has been in my favorites list on Etsy for years - it is adorable. 

Russian Blue Cat Portrait by The Lonely Pixel

Etsy Weekends: Bird Feeder Fun

This bird feeder is adorable!! It can be used as a feeder, or a bath. :)

Bird Feeder from Stonewerks Statuary

Etsy Weekends - Cat Stuff

So, I wanted to share with you some nifty eco-friendly bags I've found on Etsy recently, but as I sat down to write up today's post, Lela the cat decided to join me. She has nixed the eco-friendly stuff in favor of cat stuff. Are you surprised? Me neither. She is terribly bossy.

Anyway, here are her picks for the weekend....

Pouf Pet Bed from Kip Pets

Kitty Lounger from Peach Industries

Cat Bed from Technik Design CM

Water Fountain from Cat Fountains

Hope you enjoyed Lela's picks, come back next week and we'll see if I'm in charge or if Norman demands an Etsy weekend for himself!

Did I say something Funny?

Lela was having a ton of fun in our last photo session....

Have a great weekend everyone! Hope you find something good to laugh about today :)

When did it become October?

So I'm not quite sure what happened to the last month and a half. September seems like it lasted a day, and here we are again in October. I think the beginning of the school year always does this to me, settling back into a new routine, September seems to be the hardest hit month for me, and the one that goes by faster than all the others. December might run a close second to September though!

So what have I been doing for the past month and a half you might ask. Well, honestly, it went by so fast I kind of forgot to pay attention. I know there was a lot of homework, mostly reading, some housework and some working, along with a little fun - of the MarioKart variety mostly. Matt and I also got to visit a new restaurant, one of our favorite things to do. (It is a new Indian restaurant in town and it is super good! Buffet style, and the menu changes daily!) I think Matt even did a little more pepper picking and processing. I've been trying to get some work done on Etsy, but I feel like every time I sit down with Etsy intentions, my allotted time is gone before I have accomplished half of my desired tasks. I also started a Twitter for Hide and Hair (@hideandhair) but it's hard to keep up with that too! I'm a bit better on Instagram, mostly because I am constantly taking pictures of the kitties! :)

I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I'm hoping soon. Unfortunately, midterms are already looming, so the next week at least will be a little rough on me again. Cross your fingers for me!

But of course it is Friday, so I will leave you with these adorable pictures:  

Etsy Weekends - Tote Bags

As I was looking through my recent favorites to write a new Etsy post I came across these four tote bags, all recently put into my 'bags and buttons' list. It looked like my post had written itself!! As a person who feels you can never own too many tote bags or rescue too many cats, these bags seem custom made just for me!

Black Cat Tote Bag by Make Make Tees

Cats are my Bag by Xenotees

Cats in Love from Mamushka Handmade

Don't like Cats? from Memories Warehouse 

Have a great weekend and drop by next week to see what other goodies Etsy has in store!

Kitty Tree

We bought a 6 foot cat tree in the hopes that our two cats could enjoy their own space, look out the window and get some extra exercise! But, we have an extremely territorial cat - Norman has decided this is his tree, and if Lela even attempts to lounge about in it he gets upset and tries to push her off the tree. One day we made him get down and let her stay, so he spent the next few days laying in her special areas just to prove his point - stay off my tree!! We're just glad he figured out the sisal scratching posts. :)

Norman Doesn't Understand Cameras

Sweet Norman is cute and sweet, but not that bright. He really doesn't understand cameras either....

A Reminder from the Kitties

Norman would like to wish you all a Happy Fourth of July!!

Lela would like to remind you not to enjoy the holiday responsibly, please remember what is really important: your kitties of course!!

Now get out and enjoy the day!!

Spoiled Kitties?

When the motor in the water fountain gave out again about a month ago, I decided it was finally time to invest in a new cat fountain. I've been wanting something different ever since I saw the beautiful new ceramic cat fountains over on the hauspanther blog. There are also beautiful ceramic fountains on Etsy, and a few different models that are sold in Europe. Matt and I looked over our choices, and agreed on the Drinkwell Pagoda Fountain. We've had it now for about a week or two, and the kitties really seem to enjoy it. I haven't pulled it apart to clean yet, but putting it together was pretty easy, and I don't think it will be difficult to clean. We will have to fill it more often, because it doesn't have the reservoir that our last fountain had, but that's not a big deal. I'm just hoping it doesn't get clogged with cat hair as bad as the other one did!

There is one problem that I haven't addressed yet. Lela really likes to splash water out of fountains, she has done it since her first fountain as a way to show her anger. She has been making messes with this fountain every few days, and it seems to be a lot easier for her than the last fountain. They recommend placing the fountain on a mat, but in the past she has drained enough water to fill the mat and spill over onto the floor. So I'm thinking some kind of tall-sided container, which of course will diminish the beauty of the fountain, but will hopefully prevent the lakes she's been forming on the floor. In fact, as I wrote this she was draining her fountain. I don't know how she does it...might need to set up a hidden camera to catch her at it....

How-Tuesday: Crocheted Cat Toy!

So I'm not really going to teach you how to crochet. Sorry for the misleading title! For starters, I barely know how to crochet, I'm self taught from several books. That's how I know that there are really great resources out there for you if you do want to learn how to crochet. I'm partial to Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet, The Happy Hooker, because she has pretty color images to help you understand all the loops and stitches and stuff.

One thing I do know how to do though, is make a cat toy. For years I have been making ball and string toys, like this:

Lela with a ball and string toy

They are wonderful, and really stand the test of time (I still have the original from 2007, and though the kitties really prefer the new ball and string toys that aren't theirs, they will occasionally bat the old one around too. Catnip spray doesn't hurt either.) but they hurt to make. You see, in order to make a knit ball sturdy enough that a cat can't claw it open in minutes, you have to knit a really thick fabric. Or felt it. Since I make these toys from cotton, felting is out of the question, so knitting a thick fabric becomes the only choice. Unfortunately, knitting a thick fabric that curves into a ball shape isn't really all that easy, and when you already have carpal tunnel, it becomes nearly impossible. I've been exploring different options over that last few years because I don't want to stop making these toys. This summer I finally tried the option I've been avoiding the most: crochet. Crochet is naturally of a thicker and sturdier construction than knitting, perfect for cat toys. I found a great pattern online for a sphere (google it - there's a lady who wrote up patterns for mathematically perfect spheres, pretty sweet) and came up with this:

Now, once I made the ball and string toys I thought, "These would be great just as balls too! And Matt has been badgering me to make a toy that he can use to teach Norman fetch...a smaller version of this is exactly what he's been wanting...." So, I fiddled around a bit more, made some small balls, and a few of these:

But of course, Etsy dashed my hopes of being original. There are at least 14 pages of cat toy balls made of cotton, and stuffed with polyfil and catnip. They range in price from $holy-cow-that's-low-how-are-you-making-a-profit?? to $wow-that's-a-lot-for-one-toy! So, I figured I would need to stand out somehow. Another idea that's been rattling around for a while now is to use natural wool fibers for the stuffing, in place of polyfil. But it's so expensive, why would you use perfectly good roving material for stuffing? Well, if you end up with six huge bags of wool still in the grease, and no way to card it, then you have a perfect stuffing material :)

There you have it my friends, how to make a crocheted cat toy. Mull it over for years, finally make it, then test it until it's ready for sale on Etsy. (We are currently in the testing phase, with hopes to move into the selling phase soon.) Good luck in your endeavors :)

Kitties in the Bathroom

Our kitties, Norman and Lela, are pretty strange critters. When it was just Lela, she LOVED bath time! She wanted to be near me, and then near Matt, at every moment of the day, including shower and potty time (which can be a little obnoxious). She would hang out in the sink, or on the toilet lid, and then jump in the tub when we would climb out of the shower. When Norman came around though, he had fleas. We had to give the kitties at least four flea baths. Lela stopped coming in the bathroom with us after that.

Fast forward to the last year, when Norman started joining us in the bathroom. He loves the attention that he gets, and grows upset if we don't pet him enough. Over the last few weeks however, Lela has started joining us in the bathroom again. Now with both kitties in the bathroom, neither is happy with the attention they get, but we think it's adorable. What do you think?

There's just one problem, Norman tends to pee on things Lela loves. Here's hoping he doesn't pee in the bathroom!!

Glamour Kitty

It is difficult to get a good picture of Norman, you always want to get his beautiful blue eyes, but if there isn't enough light or if there is too much light then the pictures just don't turn out. Here are two of my most recent favorites of him!

Snow...again....

I'm trying to sell some extra pepper plants on Craigslist, and have had no bites so far. It's no wonder when we've had snow the last three days! I'm sick of saying I'm sick of snow (and sick of waiting to put up my greenhouse!!!) so... here are some kitty pictures. They are Norman phone pictures :)

Double the Pleasure, Double the Cats!

Some kitties love a companion. These cats make it look good for a camera :) Except of course Gizmo and Bentley, who actually do like each other!

Gizmo and Bentley

Lela and Norman

Spike and Ginger

Spike and Bruce the Dog!

Etsy Weekends - Hiding Spots for a Dog and a Cat

We have a kitty who loves to hide, so I always love when I come across little houses for cats and dogs. Today I give you one for each, both in a very mod style...and both super cute!  

Dog House from jumahl

Cat House from Modern Mews 

Drop by next week when we share even more Etsy Finds!

Knitting Cat Toys

With the semester in full swing I don't have time to do any really intensive knitting. Every once in a while, usually once a week or less, when I need a break from school work, I will allow myself an hour, or two, (or in some really bad cases up to three!) during which I sit on the couch watching something on Netflix and knitting. Since I don't give myself that much time I usually end up knitting replacement mice (for those that have sold recently on Etsy). This way I don't have to bother finding yarn, and a pattern, and needles etc. for a new project. I just reach over, grab my list of mice that need to be knit, pull out the yarn from the mice yarn bag, and get started. Since each mouse takes 45 minutes to knit, and a few minutes to stitch together, I can usually get one whole mouse done during an hour long program. Here is the fruit of my labors so far this semester:

When school gets really tough, I find my mind wandering even more. The last week or so I've been thinking about new cat toys. I need to make more ball and string toys, since we're sold out on Etsy. I even bought a new Embellish Knit to do so. But now I think I might use the Embellish Knit for other toys since the thick cotton yarn will eventually break it. So I now have visions of wool i-cords felted into indestructible toys for the kitties. But what is at the end of that i-cord? That part I haven't figured out yet. I do know that I want to make them interactive toys by looping the i-cord to go around a finger:

Most of our toys aren't interactive, and that makes me feel we are doing a disservice to our customers. Mice are fun for the kitties, but not always for the people! So what do you think you would like to have dangling from the end of your kitty's new i-cord toy? A mouse shape? A fish shape? A ball? Or something completely different? Let me know in the comments!!

Box Kitties

You know you've got one too, a cat who loves a cardboard box! Spike used to climb into Pepsi Cubes, and then she would try to fit into 12 packs. Goofy kitties! Here are a couple of oldies but goodies!

Ginger the Cat

When Becky went to Florida, she came back to Wisconsin with a surprise. Ginger, the cat. We called her the dumb blonde, because she didn't seem to be very bright. But she was incredibly sweet! Here are a few good shots of Ginger, Orange Tabby, 2000-2011